


A second chance

by nurantarenendurath



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-07 15:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20819687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nurantarenendurath/pseuds/nurantarenendurath
Summary: Merlin seems to have discovered a way to bring back the much beloved king of Camelot. But this way is one his old Nemesis Nimueh came up with. To find out how to work it out, he has to visit the realm of the dead and speak with his enemy.Will he succed in bringing Arthur back or will he fail again.Only time will show...





	1. Nimuehs notes 1

„Gaius, I’ve got it.“ The old man looked up in a rather surprised motion. He just had been reading in one of his many medicine books and was therefore rather taken by surprise when Merlin came through the door.

The young wizard wore his wide red robe, which had been given to him by Queen Gwenevier. For over two years now he had been the high wizard of Camelot and was the main reason fort he abandoning oft he old law which had been prohibiting acts of magic.

Everyone knew his name and his capapilities. His existence alone was reason enough for every foe of Camelot to cower in fear. The most powerfull wizard of all time. And this man, was now looking like a child. He grinned from ear to ear and made little jumps between his steps.

„What is it Merlin“, wondered Gaius confused. Merlin hadn’t been this cheerfull for a long time. Since Arthurs death he changed. He still was kind of sassy and occasionally clumsy, but he never really returned to his old self. His current behaviour was very simillar to what Gaius was used from him. 

„I’ve got it“, repeated Merlin and lifted his right hand in which he had held a rather small book until this very moment. Now he laid it in front of Gaius. „I know how to bring him back.“ Gaius sighed deeply. „Merlin, please we talked about this, no one can bring back the dead, not even you“, he reminded gently.

„Just read it, you will be surprised“, Merlin assured and his smile became even wider. Allthough he wasn’t convinced at all Gaius thought to himself, that it would be the best to just see what Merlin had founf this time. 

Searching for a way to bring back Arthur was pretty much everything the wizard did apart from his duties as the high wizard and also most trusted council oft he queen. Gaius laid his book aside and opened the one Merlin brought into his little chamber.

It was nothing special, not much more than a journal with a cover of leather. Merlin was pacing up and done while waiting for Gaius to read. „Hold still will you“, ordered Gaius. „Sure sorry.“ Merlin sat down immediately. Now he was just staring at Gaius in great exitement.

Somehow Giaus thought that this was different. Maybe Merlin really had really found a way. The book now was in fact a journal. „Nimueh“, Gaius read and raised a brow at Merlin. „You weren’t at the island oft he lost, were you.“ Merlin shrugged. „Why not, who should stop me“, he responded. Gaius shook his head. „You really still are an irresponsible fool.“  
„A very powerfull irresponsible fool“, Merlin grinned. Gaius didn’t say anything, he just started reading. The notes oft he old and very powerfull witch were pretty hard to decipher, yet since he was used to such things it wasn’t that much of an act.

All oft he notes were revolving around the power of live and death and how to reverse the effect of death. Gaius looked at Merlin again. „Don’t say anything yet, I know what it looks like, but please read further“, Merlin insisted. And so Gaius did.


	2. Nimuehs notes 2

"Death is irreversible", Gaius started and was rather confused again.  
Merlin had sounded so sure of this book and now it just outright said what  
Gaius knew beforehand.  
"Continue." Merlin was still grinning as if Arthur had already been brought back.  
"In all my years of study, I've never found a way, to bring back someone, who already died."   
That still didn't sound very promising, but Merlin was getting more and more excited so Gaius decided  
to just keep on reading. Though he thought that Merlin maybe had turned mad.  
"Death is an absolute which no magic can reverse, as soon as it takes someone, they will be gone forever."  
Now Gaius was quite sure that Merlin turned mad, but he still didn't say anything. He didn't want to hurt his feelings  
but he made a mental note to talk to Gwen later about the mental health of the great wizard.  
"So I gave up on trying to reverse death and focused my studies on prevent it." Merlin stood up again and started pacing.  
Allthough Gaius looked at him annoyed, he didn't sit down again, he just kept on walking up and down.  
"Since death will be absolute after it happend, the only thing that will prevent it, is not letting the death happen."  
Gaius had to laugh, It was such an absurd sentence. "Come on Merlin, you can't be serious, this is ridiculous", Gaius said and shook his head.  
"Keep reading", Merlin repeated. "You shall be surprised." Gaius sighed again. He was to old for Merlins wild plans, he thought to himself.   
"So I concluded, that the only way to bring back an already dead person is to change the circumstances of their death, by changing time..."   
Gaius interrupted himself and looked to Merlin. The young wizard had stopped and was trembling from excitement. "Continue", he wispered hoarsely   
"A magician powerfull enough should be able to use the old Gates of Time to get into the realms without time." Gaius thought, that all this  
sounded completely ridiculous. There couldn't be a magical place, which could reverse time.  
"There, with the right guidance, the wizard should be able to find the point in time, which needs to be changed to prevent the death of the person he desires  
to save." Gaius stopped. There was not much more to read, only a little sketch of a skull and next to it a drawing of a human head.  
"You know Nimueh was mad", he begann to speak very slowly.   
"And she was very powerfull and new the ways of the old Religion, plus this is her journal, why would she write that to herself, if it wasn't the truth", Merlin said breathless.  
He was obviously absolutely taken by the idea to reverse time and make all his mistakes disappear.  
Gaius understood him in some way. There were things he too wished hadn't happened, but they did and he thought that it was deeply wrong to mess with something as  
fragile and dangerous as time and fate.   
"Let's assume all this." He lifted the book. "Is true. In which way does it help. I have never heard of something like the "Gates of Time" and can't imagine what a "Right giudance"  
could be." Merlin nodded but kept on smiling. "I already thought about that and came to the conclusion that there is only one person who could tell us, what this means."  
Gaius looked at Merlin, than the book. "You're mad", he exclaimed. "Shes dead, as well as Arthur is. You defeated her yourself", he reminded.  
"And we both know, where to find the dead", smiled Merlin, as if he just had made all of Gaius's concerns go away.


End file.
